Hidden Face
by WarriorOfAvalon
Summary: A neighboring kingdom has declared war on Kyrria.Jayden,the daughter of a poor family, disguises herself as boy to fight secretly alongside her brother.She soon finds herself caught up in an adventure that will change her forever.
1. Chapter 1: Bad News::

A/N: Completely edited the story, so if you've already read the first few chapters the first time I wrote it, I suggest you read them again as it may lead to confusion in later chapters. Enjoy!

:Chapter 1: Bad News:

"Come on, Jayden, it's getting late. You know about how Mother feels about us staying out too long." My older brother, Shane, tugged at my sleeve as I carefully reached for the reddest ripest apples I could find.

"Alright, just let me pay for this," I replied as the shopkeeper added up the cost of the food.

After paying for the fruit and loading them safely in my woven basket, we headed away from the fruit stand.

The sky was turning into a shade of orangeish-red, indicating that the sun would be setting in a few hours.

We shoved through the throngs of people crowding the streets, mostly women and children. Shane reached for an apple from the basket I was holding, rubbing it with his slightly tattered shirt before biting into the red skin.

Suddenly, there was the sound of hoof beats. The crowd of people rushing around slowed down to see what all the commotion was about. The horses came to a stop, and the townsfolk stopped what they were doing and crowded around them.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Shane as I stopped and stared at the armed knights on the three white horses. Then I noticed that all of them were bearing the royal crest, and I knew. There were only two times when people who worked for the royal family came to the village in such a manner: to announce the birth or death of a royal family member, or to inform of the declaration of a war.

The people whispered anxiously amongst themselves. One women burst into tears even before any of the knights informed us of the news.

The knight with the long, curly red hair cleared his throat. "Beloved people of Kyrria," he began in a powerful voice. "After several generations of growing tension with Fairburn, our neighboring kingdom. . ." he paused for a second. "has declared war on Kyrria."

Fairburn was a kingdom on the other side of the elve's forest. I remember Father telling me and Shane about how Fairburn and Kyrria were once a joined nation many years ago, but split up after a massive power struggle following the death of the former ruler. The struggle was between King Otis, an ancestor of our current King Charmont, who was the heir to the throne, and Lord Fairburn, another powerful man at the time. Eventually they came upon an agreement that Kyrria would be split, and that they could rule their land as they wish.

The men in the crowd stood tall, intently waiting to hear about the role they must play.

"All men from ages thirteen through sixty are required to meet at the royal courtyard by sundown. The royal troops have prepared weapons and armor."

My heart sank. The words of the red-haired knight echoed in my head. 'All men from ages thirteen through sixty. . .'

The basket dropped from my hand, its contents spilling all over the road. I reached over and clutched Shane's arm.

"You can't," I said in a shaky voice, as I looked up at him. "Y-You can't go. . ."

He didn't reply or even look at me, for that matter. A look of fear, excitement, and pride was plastered on his face.

"Remember, men must be at the palace grounds by sunset this evening. I'll see you men in a few hours. Remember, it is our duty to do all we can to keep our kingdom safe." He gave the two other horsemen a nod, and the horses started to trot away. "Stay safe."

As soon as they left the crowd erupted in commotion. "There's going to be a war!" one woman cried. More women started to weep.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Shane said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the crowd, neither of us bothering to pick up the basket I dropped. He tossed his half eaten apple aside.

I swung open the wooden door of our home, with Shane walking in right behind me. I spotted Mother sitting silently at the table, weeping.

Shane walked over to her and embraced her. "Mother, it'll be okay."

"N-NO. . . not m-my baby. . ." she sobbed, clutching him tightly. "First your father and that awful fever. . . I-I can't lose you too. . ."

It was the first time Mother had mentioned Father since his death. I was about ten years ago, I was just five when he got the fever and he passed away in a matter of weeks.

"Listen to her, Shane, please," I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Don't go. . . you're only seventeen. . . y-you can't die. . ."

Shane stared at me in disbelief, and Mother bawled at the mention of my last word. "Who says I was going to die?"

I felt my body trembling. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.

"I'm starving," Shane said, quickly changing the subject. "Let's eat supper."

Since I had dropped the food we purchased today, we dined on slightly stale bread leftover from the day before, and some soup Mother scraped up from anything we had.

And before I knew it, he was gone. Right before he left I made him promise that he'd come back alive. He chuckled and replied, "I promise."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to leave me a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: One Last Goodbye::

Chapter 2: One Last Goodbye:

"Jayden, wakeup!" A loud whisper woke me up from my restless sleep. Someone shook my shouders, causing me to open my eyes.

"Wha. . .?" I peered through half open eyes into the face of Mother. "Why are you wake me up so early?" I asked with a yawn.

"Jayden, we have to get to the palace! The soldiers will be leaving today. It's our last chance to see your brother until the war is over."

"They're leaving today!" I cried, now fully awake. "But. . . don't they have to train?" I was sure Shane would be training at the palace for at least a few weeks before leaving.

Mother shook her head. "There's no time."

I was thankful that there was at least another chance to say goodbye. "When do we leave?"

Mother quickly got up, stepping to the side to glance out a window. "Soon," she said. "The neighbors are starting to leave already."

I stood up, brushing my fingers through my straight, dark brown hair. "Let's leave now, the sooner we leave, the more time we have with Shane."

Mother nodded and handed me a fruit. "Eat something before we leave."

Outside, the weather was absolutely lovely. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and a warm breeze blew through my hair.

When we reached the palace gates, the ground was packed. It seemed as though all of Kyrria was there, struggling to get through the gates to reach their loved ones.

"One at a time!" I heard the rough voice of a palace guard shout.

Many people were in tears, longing to see their husbands and sons for what may be the last time.

"Stay close," Mother said, as she dragged me through the throng of people.

We were quite close to the entrance now. The guards took a few seconds to check the women, elders and children for weapons or any other dangerous objects before letting them through.

"Hey, lady, show me what you have in your pocket," the guard said, carelessly glancing at Mother. Mother dug her hands into her empty pocket.

"Alright, go through," he said, lightly shoving her through the gate. "Next!"

I stepped up to the guard. From his annoyed expression I could tell he was getting pretty exhausted from his job.

"Got any pockets, little lady?" he asked in a monotonous tone.

"No, Sir," I replied.

"Alright, kid, get through. Next!" He peered over my head to the next person behind me.

I quickly moved through the gates, into the grassy courtyard. I peered around. Where did Mother go?

"Jayden! Over hear!" cried a famliar voice. I whirled around. The voice belonged to Shane, who was with Mother.

I ran towards them, surrounding Shane in a warm embrace. As I peered up to look at him I felt warm tears roll down my cheeks.

"Jayden, not this again. . ." Shane said softly, setting his hands on my shoulders.

I forced a smile through my tears.

"Jayden," he said softly so Mother couldn't hear. "Please, after the war, don't be too expectant to see me. You know that there is a great chance that I may not come back. . ." For the first time in my life I saw my older brother cry.

"You promised-" I started to say but I was cut off by another voice.

"Good people of Kyrria," a voice from above boomed. All the people in the courtyard looked up to the balcony to see the King. King Charmont was standing with Queen Ella and another boy who looked to be a few years older than me, who I assumed was Prince Derek. They were both standing on either side of the King.

"My good people," King Charmont repeated. Even at a tie of great despair the king did not fail to bear a genuine smile. "We have reached a time when out men have to bear arms and fight for our beloved kingdom."

There were cheers from the men below, though I failed to understand why anyone would cheer at the thought of going to war.

"Although many men will period in this great battle, they will be remember for their bravery, loyalty and courage. Each and every man shall be respected and remember forever."

Tears continued to pour down my cheeks. What kind of inspirational speech was this anyway, stating that many men will die. I looked over at Shane. His eyes were glued on the king, and there was a fire in his eyes I'd never seen before. The thought that this may be the last time I'd ever see him broke my heart.

Then I had an idea.

I tugged on Shane's sleeve. "Shane," I whispered.

"Hm? What is it?" he asked, not moving his glance away from the royal family.

I hesitated for a moment. "I-I want to go with you."

His eyes widened, and he turned to stare at me. "What do you mean?"

I swallowed. "I-I mean. . . I'm coming too. To fight. . ."

Shane's eyes grew even bigger. "You're kidding, right?" he asked, looked at me with his dark brown eyes as if I were crazy.

I shook my head.

Shane sighed. "Jayden, please, don't be ridiculous. You're a lady. You're fifteen. It's not safe."

"B-But. . ." I sobbed. "What if I never see you again? Hm? Then who'll stay up with me when there's a storm? Who's walk with me to the store?"

"Jayden," Shane said. "I promise I'll come back. . . rememeber what I said last night?"

"But you just told me a few minutes ago that you might not come back! And didn't you just hear what the king said? Were you not listening? You might die out there!"

"Jayden, listen," he said, peering into my eyes. I could see that tears were beginning to form in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. "Here," he reached into his shirt and pulled something from around his neck.

He took my hand and wrapped my fingers around it.

I peered in my hand, and on it was a silver chain, that I recognized was the heirloom father gave him before he passed away. And now Shane was giving it to me. Because he might die too.

"I can't take that. Father gave you that."

He shook his head. "It's yours. For now anyway." He grinned. "You know I'll come back for it."

"Now, be good to Mother. I know she's been a bit distant ever since Father. . . well, you know," he whispered, making sure Mother didn't hear. I nodded. "And also-"

The king must have stopped speaking because before I knew it, the guards were gathering the people out of the palace gates.

"Shane!" I cried as I was swept into the crowd. I anxiously looked around for him.

Before I had a chance to say my last goodbye, I was out of the palace grounds and the gates were closed.

A/N: Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Leaving Home::

:Chapter 3: The Decision:

'The soldiers will be leaving today. . .'

The words Mother had spoken before echoed in my head as I sat on the wooden floor of our home, my hand firmly clamped over the silver chain, which was now safely hanging from my neck.

It had been a few hours since we came home from the palace, and Mother was now sound asleep after insisting that I should too, for I would be too tired or depressed to do anything else.

I sat here, awake, thinking.

'Jayden, you know I'll come back for it.' My brother's voice filled my head.

'You might die out there!' I heard my own voice echo through my mind.

Scenes of my brother trying to hold back his tears as he handed me his chain flashed through my head.

And that's when I decided. Regardless of what Shane had told me, I was going. I was going to come with him.

I quickly stood up on my feet. How could I pass off as a boy? I thought to myself, looking down at my body.

The first thing I noticed was my hair, my thick brown hair that trailed down my back. It would have to go. I quietly stepped towards a cupboard, where Mother kept all of her utensils. I reached in and carefully felt around for a cutting knife. The stinging pain in my fingers told me I had found one. I stifled a cry of pain, holding my breath as I listened for the steady breathing of my sleeping mother.

I sucked my fingers to ease the bleeding. I stared at the knife. Before I could stop myself I grabbed a whole bunch of my hair and ran the knife through it, at right about me chin.

I gasped as I watched fifteen years of my hair fall to the floor. I started to breath harder, tears welling up in my eyes. I dropped the knife on the floor and ran my hand through my hair, and started to panic.

What in the world did I just do! I took a few moments to calm down, taking deep, slow breaths. It's the only way to see Shane.

I stared down at my chest. I quickly threw off my tattered dress and searched around for some spare clothes Shane had lying around. I found a shirt, vest, and a pair of trousers in the corner of the room. I picked it up, immediately dropping it. It was filthy and smelled horrible. I reached down and picked it up again anyway. It was all I had. I pulled the clothes on. The shirt and the vest was too large and very loose, but it hid everything that needed to be hid perfectly. I pulled on a pair of trousers for the first time in my life. A bit baggy, but it would do.

I still couldn't believe what I was doing; yet I didn't stop. I quietly stepped out the door. There were few people outside today. Everyone was probably inside, grieving for their loved ones.

I squatted down and scooped up a handful of dirt, which I sprinkled and rubbing into my already filthy hair. I tangled and messed with it, letting it fall into my face. Anything to make me look unrecognizable.

Part of me wanted to go back inside and sleep, like mother suggested, yet the other part of me was pumping with excitement and anticipation with what I was doing.

I knelt down and scooped up even more dirt, rubbing it into my face. I quietly crept back inside, searching for something in which I can see my reflection. Eventually, I found a glass plate that had been passed down in Mother's side of the family for many years. Afraid that I might drop it, I set it on the table and towered above it.

I couldn't help but grin when I saw my reflection. I was barely recognizable, especially without my long hair. Only one thing was wrong.

I carefully tucked the silver chain Shane had given me inside of my shirt.

I crept over to where Mother was resting. "Don't worry about me," I whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I lingered there for a while. Hesitating on whether or not I really wanted to do this. I took a deep breath and one last glance at Mother.

And then I was gone.

"Excuse me, Sir!" I cried to the guard that was guarding the palace gates.

I stopped to catch my breath after my sprint towards the palace. I could feel beads of sweat rubbing down the back of my neck, which was exposed to the sun now that I had cut my hair.

The man, who I recognized as the same man who was guarding the gate this morning, eyed me as if I were a nuisance.

"What do you want, lad?" he asked, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

"I-" I stopped and coughed. I forgot that I was pretending to be a boy! I cleared my throat and spoke in the deepest voice I could muster, which really wasn't deep at all, much to my disappointment. "I need to get inside. I-I'm a soldier."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like much of a soldier to me, kid," he said rudely. "Go back home."

I scowled. "Please," I said in my false voice. "I need to get in. The soldiers are leaving soon. . . the knight that informed us of the war said every man ages thirteen through sixteen could fight. I'm. . . thirteen," I said. Maybe the young age would explain my small frame.

After a few moments of hesitation the guard gave in. "Alright, Kid, get through. They're lining up in the courtyard."

And, sure enough, there were hundreds of men and boys of different ages, who were starting to line up in the courtyard. I took a place beside a couple of men, trying to blend in.

"Alright! Listen up, men!" cried a voice. I looked over to see, judging from his fancy uniform, a royal general. "I am going to put you in squads! The members of your squad will the men you will be sharing a tent with when we stop to rest, and they will be the people you stick with for the remainder of this war! Is that clear!"

"Yes, Sir!" the men replied defiantly.

"Alright!" he barked, as he stepped towards a group of men. He started counting them off.

My palms were starting to sweat. I nervously searched around, in hope of finding Shane. Where was he?

"You! Over there!" cried the general.

I quickly spun around to face him. "Yes. . .?" I spoke nervously in my false voice. But he was already busy assigning the other men.

I gulped, confused. Where was I suppose to go?

"Hey, you! Over here!" cried an unfamiliar voice. I quickly spun around.

The owner of the voice, who was barely visible from where I was standing, was waving his hand over the crowd, motioning for me to come over. "Yes, you! Over here!"

I nervously headed over to where the boy was, hoping that I was not found out.

I stared in shock as I saw who the owner of the voice was. I stared at his brownish reddish hair, the sprinkle of freckles across his nose, his green eyes, his fancy clothes. . . I recognized him from earlier today, on the balcony. It was the Prince!

I gasped and quickly swept into a curtsey. Suddenly my eyes widened and I felt my cheeks turn red and I heard men around me erupt in laughter. I quickly cleared my throat and turned the curtsey into a bow. "Your highness. . ." I greeted in my false voice.

The prince laughed, and ran his hand through his curly brown hair. "You're funny. I like a good laugh once in a while," he said with a chuckle, putting his right hand out. "Derek. Call me Derek."

I slowly reached for his hand and shook it, his large hands enveloping my own. "I'm Jay-" I stopped an cleared my throat. That was a close call! I almost told him my real name, Jayden, which was obviously a female name. I had to get used to this fast! I cleared my throat again, panicking. What was I suppose to tell him?

Well, it's nice to meet you, Jay," Derek said with a smile.

I blushed. He was lovely. "you too, your- I mean. . . Derek." I smiled, thankful for the fast save. I was no longer Jayden, but Jay.

A/N: Please review!


	4. Chapter 4: The Foe::

:Chapter 4: The Foe:

I continued to stare at Derek, the prince, when someone shoved into me. I flew over to the side, my knees and elbow scraped by the dirt and rocks on the ground.

"Hey watch it!" I cried. . . in my normal voice. My hands immediately few to my mouth. I watched in wide eyes at the man- no, more like a boy Shane's age- who had purposely pushed into me. Oh no. . . now they were going to know I was a girl and-

"Oh, look what we have here! A prepubescent little baby!" the boy said, tossing his shaggy blonde hair. "I think you're in the wrong place, little boy. You lost your mother?" he hooted with laughter, cracking up at his own joke. Another boy his age, who must have been one of his buddies, snorted along with him.

"Hey watch it!" he, the one who pushed me, mocked me in a high speaky voice. I noticed that a few of the other men, unsuccessfully, tried to hold back a smirk.

I continued to stare at him, too embarrassed to speak. Despite his rude behavior, I had to admit he wasn't too bad on the eyes. With his broad shoulders, perfect blonde hair, his sparkling green eyes, that gorgeous smile and laugh (although I was the one he was laughing at), I couldn't help but blush. His partner, on the other hand, was rather eye offending, with horrible rotting teeth and rather bushy eyebrows. But then again, I wasn't exactly the most handsome creature in the world either.

The boy calmed down, and glanced down at me. "What's the matter, Mommy didn't teach Baby how to speak yet?" He smirked. "Here, maybe I could help you." He stepped about a foot away from where I still sprawled on the ground, and kick a little pile of dirt in my face.

I coughed and quickly rubbed my eyes, which were stinging from the dirt. Despite how gorgeous he was, he was going too far. "Knock it off!" I cried, remembering to use my false voice, spitting out the dirt that had gone into my mouth. I quickly jumped to my feet, facing the boy.

Noticing a major height difference, the boy stared down at me and burst into laughter. "Oh, so I guess the kid CAN talk."

Before anyone noticed I was up to something I drew all the strength I could muster and gave him the biggest blow I could, right into his stomach, thinking that's what a sensible boy in my position would do.

I smiled satisfactorily as I watched him wheeze, cursing furiously under his breath. I cringed at the profane language he was using, for some men have been severely punished for using profanity in front of a lady in public. But I had to remember I wasn't exactly a lady anymore. Not to them, anyway.

All the while, he stared at me with a malicious glare. "Why you little-"

"Break it up, you two!" I heard the prince yell. Someone grabbed me by the back of my shirt and the blonde boy's friend held him back.

I angrily returned the boy's glare.

"You alright?" asked a gently voice from behind me, which belonged to the one holding me back. My eyes widened as I recognized the familiarity of the voice. I whipped around, only to come face to face- well, more like face to chest- with the one person I went through all this trouble for. Shane.

I gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. "You alright?" he repeated, with a look pity in his eyes.

I was speechless. My plan worked! My own brother didn't even recognize me through my disguise! I cleared my throat and said angrily in my fake voice, "I'm FINE!" I aggressively pulled away from his firm grasp on the back of my shirt. It took all my strength to keep from embracing him. Being a boy was a tough job.

"Sheesh, calm down, kid," said the blonde boy's bushy eyebrowed friend with rotting teeth, who was still holding him back. "Don't take ol' Cameron here too seriously." He seemed slightly amused, yet spoke in a much kinder tone than the blonde, who's name I just found out was Cameron.

"Shut the hell up, Kale," Cameron said angrily, pulling away from his grasp. Kale slowly backed off.

I cringed again. I was going to have to get used to this cursing.

The prince, Derek, scowled. "I will not tolerate any fights within our group. You two are on the same side!"

"Sorry. . ." I murmured.

"EVERYONE GET IN THEIR ROWS!" bellowed the voice of one of the generals.

The men and boys all scurried around, struggling to get to their place.

I stood where I was, not sure where I was suppose to go.

"Come on! Move it, boy!"

I looked around, confused.

"Over here!" I heard Derek call.

I looked over and quickly ran next to where he was standing.

"You better get used to this," he said.

I faced forward, peering through the corners of my eyes for Shane.

I felt a finger jab into the side of my stomach. I squealed, jumping in surprise.

There was a snicker. "Look who it is," said Cameron, he and Kale trying to muffle their laughter. Both of them quickly shut up when a tall uniformed man walked in front of us.

"Do we have a problem here?"

A/N: Please review!


	5. Chapter 5: The Elves’ Forest::

:Chapter 5: The Elves' Forest:

"Do we have a problem here?"

Cameron and Kale quickly stopped laughing and straightened up. "No problem, Sir," Cameron responded, trying to keep his face straight.

"That's not what I looked like." The uniformed man scowled, glancing first at Cameron, Kale, then at me. I caught his eye. His gaze lingered on me for a few seconds longer.

I panicked. Could he see through my disguise? I smiled nervously, expecting him to say something. He looked away. I sighed in relief.

"Listen up, men!" barked a man with red hair who looked slightly familiar. He and a small group of others were seated upon while horses.

"That's General Nicks," Derek whispered.

I nodded and gave him my attention, finally recognizing he was the man who had informed us about the war the day before at the village.

"We will be crossing through the Elves' Forest, then take the road to Ayortha, where we will meet up with out allies. I will give you further notice in the future. Remember to stay in your squads, no matter what happens."

I swallowed nervously. All my life I've been terrified of the Elves' Forest. Father had told me bedtime tales about the forest when I was younger, and her stories always included ogres. I get nightmares about getting my ogres all the time. I used to, anyway.

I bit my lower lip, determined not the burst into tears. I've already embarrassed myself enough!

Some of the uniformed soldiers rode by and supplied each of the squads (which included one lead general type of person and twelve other people) with three horses, and each person with their own sword. The prince instinctively climbed onto one of the horses. I longed for a horse too, but decided it was best to stay put. I didn't want to stir up any more trouble. Five of the older men fought over the last two horses. Sir Nicks galloped towards us on his horse. "I'll be leading your squad," he informed us.

The head generals, all of whom were on horses, shouted some orders, and the rest of the troops turned and started marching out of the courtyard.

"Hurry up, kid." Cameron punched me in the back.

"Quit it!" I cried. . . in my normal voice. Again. Oh great. I wasn't very good at this 'boy' thing.

I heard Cameron and Kale snigger quietly. "Quit it!" he mocked in a barely audible voice.

Sir Nicks turned around, looking in our direction. The three of us continued to march as if nothing had happened.

As we headed down the road, wives, children and the elderly stood at their doors, waving to the men they recognized. Many of them were in tears. I tried not to look in their direction. Instead I thought about how out of place I must have looked. An underage girl (disguised, of course) set with a whole troop of men.

Within just half an hour we passed through the village. All I could see on either side of the dirt road were trees and some wild grass. By now the groups are separated and gone their own way. For the next few minutes I stared longingly at the prince with his horse, occasionally stealing a glance at Shane, whose face was expressionless. Every few minutes he would rub his chest as if he were in pain. I thought about the silver chain that was now around my neck. The prince didn't seem the least bit exhausted, for obvious reasons. I sighed. Not even an hour had passed and already my muscles were aching, and the surprisingly heavy sword was no help at all.

I peered around at the men in our group. There was Sir Nicks, Cameron, Kale, the prince, and Shane. I smiled to myself. Out of all the groups I could've been in, I ended up with my brother! There were also seven other men, four of which looked like they were only in their twenties, two of them looked around Sir Nicks' age, and the last one looked quite senile, though if he's fighting, the oldest he could've been is sixty. He was breathing quite heavily, as though he were as exhausted as I was. I wasn't the only one who noticed this.

"Excuse me, sir." I looked up to see the owner of the voice. Prince Derek stopped his horse beside the old man. He looked up, his cheeks flushed. Derek offered him the horse. After a few minutes of humble refusal, the old man reluctantly accepted, though clearly thankful.

He hopped off the horse, landing beside me. "It's Jay, correct?"

Surprised, I quickly nodded. I still couldn't believe I would be spending the next few weeks- possible months, side by side with the prince! "And your majesty-"

"Derek is just fine," he said, chuckling. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds when he laughed.

I blushed, nodding again. I looked over at Shane, who was conversing with one of the older men. "Sorry Shane- I-I mean Derek!" My hand quickly flew to my mouth. "I meant Derek," I repeated.

And, just as I feared, Shane looked over. "Did you call for me?" He asked, a look of confusion on his face. He shifted towards us.

I shook my head.

"Oh, I thought I heard someone say my name." There was an awkward pause.

Oh great. He probably saw right through my disguise. How stupid was I, thinking I could pass for a boy?

But instead of blowing my cover he said "By the way, I'm Shane." He held out a hand.

"Derek," the prince replied.

"I-I'm. . ." I paused, my heart racing. How can one forget their name! Though in my case it was a false name, but it wasn't too different from my real one. Then I remembered. "Jay. My name is Jay," I said in the deepest voice I could manage. I ended up coughing up saliva. I cleared my throat, nervously smiling.

The two of them peered at me for a moment, then grinned.

"If you don't mind my asking, I was wondering how old you are," Derek said, directing his question at me.

'All men from ages thirteen through sixty. . .' I recalled what the knight had announced.

Thirteen was the youngest age. "Thirteen," I blurted. Even though I was really fifteen, I decided I'd pass for a more believe thirteen year old boy rather than a fifteen year old.

"I see." The prince sighed. "It's terrible, actually, how they require boys as young as you, or even me for that matter, to fight."

Shane nodded in agreement. "I have a younger sister about your age."

My heart stopped. He was talking about (the real) me! I smiled politely. "What's her name?"

"Jayden," he replied, with a sad sigh.

I nodded, my heart racing. I wanted to hear more.

"Are you going to miss her?"

Shane looked at me curiously. He smiled sadly. "Of course. She was crying and begging me not leave yesterday. I hate seeing her like that. She even had this crazy idea to come along. Part of me wish she did, but. . . that would've been way to dangerous."

"Do you wonder if you'll ever see her again?" I blurted. My hand flew to my mouth. Stupid stupid! What a horrible question to ask! I was talking as if we would were all going to die before we got a chance to go home.

"I hope." The strange look he gave me was immediately replaced with a chuckle. "You know, she asked me that same thing before I left." He rubbed his chest again, his eyes cloudy.

Hours passed.

It had been morning when we left, and now the sun was moving back down the horizon, the sky turning into a blend of orange and pink. We had only stopped once for a short water and snack break.

"Alright!" I heard one of the younger men cry out. Some of the men started sighing in relief. I looked up to see what the exclamation was about.

We had reached the edge of the Elves' Forest. I shuddered, as I thought about all the different creature that may be lurking inside. I relaxed a bit knowing that I had armed men all around me.

And then I froze.

"Ogres!" Cameron shrieked.

A/N: Please review!


	6. Chapter 6: Close Call::

:Chapter 6: Close Call:

"Ogres!" Cameron cried.

I froze. Did he just say what I thought he said!

The other men drew their swords. But I couldn't move. It was our first day out and already we come across ogres.

"BAH!" someone- or something- screamed into my ear and I exploded. I shrieked loud enough to shatter everyone's eardrums and stumbled to the floor. "P-Please don't eat m-me. . ." I whimpered, tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't believe I was going die this way.

I heard laughter. Not that of an ogres, but one I knew. . .

Cameron.

I peered over my shoulder and saw Cameron hooting with laughter. "D-Did you see the b-baby!" he managed to choke out in between laughs.

Sir Nicks lowered his sword. "This is no laughing matter. . ."

"Hey, I was just having fun. It was a joke. There are no ogres," Cameron said, straightening up. He took a glance at me and snorted, tossing his blonde hair.

"Young man, if you call one more false alarm, I can assure you that you'll be severely punished," Sir Nicks said, scowling. "Or if it isn't a false alarm, we can hope that the Ogre will go for you first."

Derek knelt down beside me. "Are you alright?"

I was still frozen, still in shock from the previous incident. "So there aren't any ogres?"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. My father constantly sends a team of trained knights to hunt for ogres. If there were any ogres in the area, we would know."

Suddenly we heard whimpering again. But this time it wasn't from me. Kale stood motionless, his face as while as a flour. "O-Ogres. . ." he stuttered.

Cameron shot him a glare. "Shut up, Kale. Don't try to pull the same prank. That's pathetic."

"N-No. . . th-there's really a-"

The lot turned to where Kale was staring. And sure enough, just about twenty feet away, there was a gang of three of the most hideous creatures I had ever laid eyes upon. Their skin was a shade of greenish gray, with tiny little yellow eyes glowing under clumps of clumpy black hair that randomly sprouted on their scalp.

I couldn't even scream this time.

"EVERYONE PLUG YOR EARS," Sir Nicks cried. He dropped his sword and put his hands over his ears. The others did the same, as did I. Father had told us that ogres were very convincing creatures, and could actually coax humans to walk right into their own deaths.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone get off of one of the horses. I looked over and realized it was the old man Derek had given up the horse for earlier.

The old man was talking, though I couldn't hear what he was saying, for I had my hands tightly pressed against my ears. He was headed right towards the ogres, without his sword drawn.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but I didn't care. This man was going walking right into a trap!

I looked at around at the other men to see if they were going to do something. And that's when I saw it. Shane was slowly walking towards the ogres too.

I trembled with fear. What was he doing! He was walking closer and closer. . . only about ten feet away from the disgusting monsters.

"STOP SHANE!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. But it seemed to have no effect on him. The ogre leading him on looked at my brother hungrily, smacking his lips together.

"NO!"

Before I knew what I was doing, I charged after Shane and leapt onto his back. Both of us tumbled to the floor.

"Woah. . . what the-" Shane looked up at me, then at the ogres. His eyes widened.

"RUN!" I heard a voice cry behind me. Suddenly I felt something grab me around the waist so tightly that I couldn't breath. I flailed about, trying to get loose from the grip.

"SSSsstupid SssSsilly little girl."

I heard a gentle slithery voice speak. But it was the strangest thing. I didn't hear it through my ears. I heard it in my head.

"That'sssSss right. . . we know your SsSSSssecret. . . now SssSsstop SssStruggling and come with usssSsss. . ."

Though the words weren't very friendly. . . something about the voice was. . . calming. I stopped my struggle.

"TaSssssSSsty little girl. . ."

I smiled at the creature. Somehow in a matter of seconds he turned from the most disgusting thing in the world to. . . not so bad at all.

I felt something piercing into my arm, right above my elbow, yet at the same time I was numb to it. Whatever was happening, I quite enjoyed it.

Then out of nowhere, the voice stopped and I heard the voices of men around me. The creature let go my waist and I gasped for breath, though I for a moment there I forgot that I wasn't breathing. An excruciating pain enveloped my left arm and I groaned, dropping to the floor.

"We killed off all three of them," I heard someone say.

"Hurry, come to the boys aid!"

"Ahhh. . ." I groaned, as I felt someone wrap something tightly around the wound.

"That was a close call," Sir Nicks said, as he slid his sword into the sheath. He looked down at me. "The young Prince took the head off of your attacker right in time."

He knelt down and examined the wound closely. "You'll be fine. You'll have quite an interesting scar, that's for sure, but there's minimal bleeding. Nothing to worry about."

He patted me on the shoulder. "And you." He pointed at Kale, who was still frozen in the same position he was in when he first spotted the ogres. "Nice call there."

"Is Shane alright!" I asked frantically, looking around for him.

"I'm right here," I heard the familiar voice reply. I sighed with relief.

We spent the next hour venturing into the forest, every one of us constantly on the lookout for ogres.

The sun had been replaced with the moon and a sprinkle of stars was visible in the sky above. I was out of breath and completely sore all over from walking all day, and my arm was still pulsing with pain. I groaned at the thought of having to do this every day. Oh well, that's a small price to pay as long as I get to be with Shane.

Had I not been there, would the men have been able to save Shane in time? I shuddered at the thought of losing him so soon.

"We'll rest here for the night," Sir Nicks announced as his horse came to a stop in the middle of the forest.

I glanced around. There was nothing but trees for miles in every direction.

"John and Henry, you two build a fire. Derek, Cameron, Shane, you help me set up the tent. Kale and Jay, you two feed the horses. . ."

Kale and I headed over to where the horses were stationed. "What do horses eat?" Kale asked, scratching his short brown hair.

I shrugged.

There were a few more moments of awkward silences before Kale spoke up. "I'm sorry about my cousin."

I raised an eyebrow. Who was he talking about? "Your cousin?" I remembered to use a low voice.

"Cameron," he replied apologetically. "He's not always an ass."

I scoffed. "That's hard to imagine." I stared at the horses as they helped themselves to the grass on the floor.

"He lost a brother a few years ago."

I looked up. Kale was staring at the floor, scratching the top of his head. "I'm sorry to hear that," I said softly.

"He would've been around your age by now. How old are you anyway?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "Thirteen," I lied.

"That's about right then. Christian was a great kid."

I nodded. I continued to stare at the horses. "What happened? I mean, how did he. . . you know. . ."

"Well," he started, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "it was only a few years ago. The kid was near ten at the time, out with a bunch of his little friends. One day he didn't show up for supper. Cameron was the one who searched for him the hardest. He searched out every one of Christian's friends, and questioned them about him, but all they said was that they lost him. They never saw him again. That's why he picks on you. You remind him of Christian."

"Ow!" someone lightly punched my injured arm. It was- who could have guessed- Cameron.

"C'mon, girls, time for bed."

I froze. Girls? Did he know about my disguise? I stared at Cameron in shock, but he was already headed towards the tent. I sighed with relief when I realized that was just one of his insults.

A/N: please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Lost and Found::

:Chapter 7: Lost and Found:

We didn't get to sleep immediately. Not all of us, just me and Cameron, that is.

"Maybe this will teach you guys to get along," General Nicks had added after informing that the two of us were assigned to stay up and guard the camp for the next hour or so while the others got their rest. How thrilling.

The other's headed over to the tent, which was actually just a little roof to shelter them from rain or something like that, so it was basically useless since it wasn't raining, though the air had gotten significantly cooler since the sun went down.

A fire was built about ten yards or so away. Cameron and I perched ourselves on opposite sides of the fire. The tent was barely visible from where we were, because of the thick forest of trees and the dark made it nearly impossible to see anything more than three feet away.

For the first few minutes the two of us sat in silence, staring into the fire. I was staring into the fire, anyway. I didn't dare look up to see what Cameron was doing, in fear that he'd hurl some sort of rude remark at me again. I decided it was safest if I didn't talk or look at him, and so far it was working.

The air was so cool I could see my breath in front of me. I rubbed my hands together in an effort to warm them and then held them up to the fire. I wasn't exactly used to spending nights in the middle of a forest. My arm was still sore from the ogre wound. I shivered, not knowing if it was because of the cold or the fact that an ogre had come close enough to me for it to sink its tooth into my arm. I shuddered at the thought of the ogres lurking in the forest at this very moment, just waiting for us soldiers to have out backs turned. . .

"Hey, kid."

I let out a started yelp, before I realized it was only Cameron whispering. I looked up and found him giving me a glare. It was a bit eerie, with the flame casting shadows on parts of his face and his blue eyes seemed to be glowing.

"Shut the hell up, kid, you're going to wake the others up."

I scowled. It was a pity that such a pretty face was paired with a nasty personality. What a waste.

"Go to bed," he whispered harshly. "I'm sick of staring at your face."

I held back a yawn. Although the sound of sleep was rather tempting, I wasn't about to let this jerk boss me around. "Well," I started, racking my brains for a good comeback. All I could come up with was "I'm sick of seeing YOUR face."

The blonde boy scoffed, and ran a hand though his shaggy hair. "I'm just sorry that ogre didn't devour you on the spot. It wouldn't done all of us a favor, though I understand that you wouldn't been a poor excuse for a snack, being just skin and bones." He smirked at the insult.

I wondered if he knew that girls couldn't care less about being skin and bones, but I had to remember that in his eyes, I was a scrawny little pathetic excuse for a boy.

He continued, "I wouldn't mind if they got to that stupid red-haired son of a bitch either."

I cringed at the profanity. I assumed he was referring to General Nicks.

". . .or that god damned sissy prince of ours. I hope I don't live to see the day he becomes king, with a pussy like that the whole kingdom-"

"Shut the hell up!" I snapped, repeating the words he had said to me earlier. How could anyone be so cruel as to say those that about someone? Especially someone like Derek, who's one of the most friendliest people I have met, which is more than I can say for this. . . son of a bitch, as he likes to say, sitting across from me. "That's not fair, you can't say that about someone if you don't even know them!"

"Well, kid, life isn't fair, and if you're too damn naïve to realize that, go home to your mother and father."

I froze at the mention of father. I could feel my eyes welling with tears of anger, but I dared not let one drop fall down my cheek. Not in from of him. "My father is dead," I said though gritted teeth. I had the sudden urge to whip out my sword and slash up his pretty little face.

For a moment I swear I saw a look of sorrow on this face, but it must have been my imagination because it was immediately replaced with an annoyed stare.

"Well, so is my brother, so I guess we're both even."

My conversation with Kale about his brother's disappearance popped into my head, and for a moment I kind of felt sorry for him. But just for a moment.

Neither of us spoke a word after that. A few minutes later, something interrupted the silence.

The sound of crunching leaves. . . footsteps. And voices.

Immediately Cameron reached for a pile of dirt and threw it into the fire. It immediately died down. He stomped the rest of it out. The forest was now completely dark, except for a very few beams of moonlight that shone between the tree branches.

I felt my heart racing. I didn't dare move.

"Lay on the floor," Cameron whispered.

The footsteps were getting closer, and the voices louder, the voices of men. Were these Kyrrians?

The voices were now close enough that we could make out what they were saying.

"I thought I heard something over here," one of the men said.

"It was probably just one of the other Fairburnians," another said.

They were Fairburnians! I could sense that they were now just a few feet away. I held my breath, thankful for the dark of the night. Had it been daytime, we would've been in their plain view.

I dared myself to glance up, to catch a glimpse of the men to see if I recognized them. Only one of the group was visible, for he was standing under a beam of moonlight. I squinted my eyes to get a better look. To my surprise, this one wasn't a man, but a boy, who couldn't have been any older than me.

He had straight blonde hair that hung to his chin, and big blue eyes that didn't seem to quite match his sharp facial features. He looked familiar, somehow. . .

"No one's here," the boy said. "Let's go."

I continued to hold my breath until I was sure they were far away. "Cameron!" I whispered.

There was no reply.

"Cameron!" I repeated, looking around for him, though it was too dark to see anything. "Those men were from Fairburn!"

"Christian. . ." he finally answered.

Christian? That name seemed to ring a bell. . .

My heart was facing faster than ever. Fairburnians! I had to wake up General Nicks right away.

"That boy. . . That was my brother."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion::

:Chapter 8: Reunion:

Cameron and I lied frozen on the dark forest floor, stunned.

I don't know what had my heart racing more. The fact that we might have been killed just a few seconds ago, or the fact that we had come across Cameron's missing brother, Christian.

I closed my eyes and caught my breath, when I heard another sound nearby. More footsteps, now closer than ever. I held my breath, feeling as if my heart were to pound right out of my chest.

Wait a second. The sound of feet crunching the leaves that bedded the forest floor was getting farther and farther away by the second. It took me just a moment to realize that the footsteps belonged to Cameron. I could see through the small beams of moonlight that shone through the tree branches that he was running. . .after his brother?

I jumped to my feet, panicking. What in the world was he thinking! The Fairburns were our enemy! Momentarily forgetting about the rest of the Kyrrian soldiers sleeping just a few yards away, I did the thing that came to my mind. I ran after him.

He was a fast runner, and the fact that he had a head start didn't help me reach him. I sprinted through the forest, vainly trying to dodge small tree braches I couldn't see in the dark.

I tried to call out his name, but I was too concentrated on catching up to him to waste my energy on anything else.

Oof!

I ran right into something. It was too soft to be a tree. . .

"What the hell!" someone cried out.

I stumbled backwards and strained my eyes to see who I had smacked into, breathing heavily to catch my breath. I could see the outline of four figures, but that was all. One of them had to be Cameron.

"What's going on?" an irritated gruff voice asked. "Who's there?"

My eyes were starting to adjust to the dark, and I realized that the one standing closest to me was Cameron. He was probably the one I ran into.

Just a few feet away were the three other figures, the shortest one, who I assumed was Christian, standing in between the two others.

A wave of fear came over me. I felt around my waist for any sort of weapon I could use in case the opportunity came up. I had nothing.

"Who are you!" the voice repeated.

I mentally willed Cameron to answer the man. I didn't want to anger them.

He didn't. Instead, he took a step forward so that the moonlight illuminated his face. I can't even begin to describe the look on his face. If it was possible for someone to be happy, sad, afraid, relieved and confused at the same time, well then that was Cameron.

He didn't speak a word. He just stood there, staring at the short, dark figure ahead of him.

"State your name, if you want to keep your head," the gruff voice stated threateningly. I heard the sound of a blade sliding against a sheath.

I gulped. I was about to blurt out my name, to satisfy his request, when someone else spoke.

"Louis, this one's okay," a slightly nasally voice that could only belong to a young boy on the brink of manhood said softly.

The small figure in the center took a small step forward, just enough for a beam of light to reveal part of his face. The corner of his thin lips came to a slight curl as he spoke. "Hello, brother."

Before a single moment passed, Cameron reached out his arms and went to embrace the boy, only to stumble to the floor when the boy dodged his arms with a single step backwards.

There were hoots of laughter from the two other men. I stood there silently. Did they even know I was standing there? I hadn't made a sound since I'd come.

"Christian!" Cameron said in an exasperated whisper, staring at the boy from where he fell on the floor. It was unnatural, seeing the bully in such a vulnerable position. Although it wasn't me who fell to the floor, I could still share his humiliation.

Suddenly, something gripped the back of my neck. I let out a startled scream.

"Who's this little fella?"

I don't know how one of the men got behind me with me knowing it. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I was going to die. I just knew it.

I saw that the small blonde boy had pulled a sword to Cameron's throat.

"What do you say," the man breathed down my neck. "Should we off their heads now, or later?"

I didn't dare move, but I could feel my whole body shaking with fear. The man had a hard, sweaty grip, but that was the least of my worries.

"I say," Christian started. His face was expressionless as he held a blade near his brother's neck. "We find a use for them."

I unintentionally let out a sigh of relief. The man squeezed my neck harder.

The blonde boy looked down at Cameron. "What do you say, brother? What do you think of being a family again?"

If Cameron was feeling the least bit of fear, he didn't show it. His blue eyes brightened and he actually looked a bit hopeful as he replied, "That's all I ask."

Christian smirked at the response, as if that was exactly what he had expected. He drew back his sword and reached out a hand. "Brothers?"

Without any hesitation, Cameron reached out and gripped the hand, rising to his feet. "Brothers."

"What about this one?" the man who had a hold of me asked, jerking my body around.

The four of them turned to stare at me. I eyed Cameron, too terrified to speak, but trying to plead for him to help me. I know we weren't friends. In fact, we hated each other. But right now he was the closest thing I had.

He stared at me for what seemed like hours. Oh great. He was going to tell them to ship my head off. I squeezed my eyes shut. Here goes. . .

"Bring him along," he finally said, as if he had a say in the group forever.

I felt a wave of relief as the pressure was lifted from my neck. I could feel the blood rushing to where the man had held his grip. I rubbed it painfully. Cameron was the last one who I'd thought would have saved my life, and I was thankful beyond belief. 

Suddenly, it hit me. I froze and looked around. Cameron had saved me from the Fairburn's because he had just joined them. The Fairburns. Kyrria's enemy since before recorded history.

This was too unreal.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review! 


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